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What does it take to bring more than 600 people from across the travel industry together in one destination — and make sure their presence leaves something positive behind?
In Episode 12 of You Came to the Right Place, hosts Natasha Lair and Jen Mallia sit down with Dre Giroux, Director of Global Community Operations at G Adventures and one of the driving forces behind GX, the company’s annual community tourism summit.
Dre Giroux, Director of Global Community Operations at G Adventures (Photo Credit: Supplied)With GX Cambodia just around the corner, Giroux pulls back the curtain on the year-long planning process behind an event of this scale. There are hundreds of arrivals and departures to coordinate, itineraries to build, local partners to work with and, as Giroux admits, “a million spreadsheets” keeping it all together.
But the logistics are only part of the story.
At the heart of GX is a much bigger idea: that travel should create meaningful connections between travellers and the communities they visit — and that tourism can leave destinations stronger than it found them.
“I truly believe that travel and spending time with other cultures just makes you a better human being,” Giroux says. “You just have empathy, but also understand that everyone has a loved one. Everyone loves to share a meal. People love to have these connections and moments.”
Giroux also talks about G Adventures’ work with Planeterra, including Project 300, an ambitious goal to integrate 300 community tourism enterprises into G Adventures trips by 2030. She explains how those partnerships are designed to create opportunities for women, youth and local entrepreneurs while helping communities build tourism businesses that can continue to grow independently.
The conversation also goes inside Raise the World, the company’s global employee fundraising campaign supporting Planeterra. Giroux says employees rallied to raise approximately $750,000 last year — an effort she believes resonates because people can see where the money goes and the impact it creates.
In This Episode:
• What it takes to plan GX and move hundreds of people through one destination
• Why this year’s GX Cambodia will bring together roughly 600 to 650 attendees
• How G Adventures works with local communities before, during and after GX
• What “community tourism” actually means — and why it matters
• How Planeterra helps community tourism enterprises become self-sustaining
• The goal behind Project 300 and its push to integrate 300 community tourism enterprises into G Adventures trips by 2030
• Why advisors can benefit from understanding the impact behind the trips they sell
• How Raise the World raised approximately $750,000 for Planeterra last year
• The moment in Peru when Giroux realized GX had created something special
• Why travel can build empathy, understanding and connections that last long after the trip ends
• What Giroux is most excited about as GX heads to Cambodia — and what she can (and definitely cannot) reveal about 2027
And, of course, the Pulse Check returns.
Giroux reveals the destination that surprised her most, why she travels as a self-described “walking pharmacy,” the advice that taught her to lean into the unexpected, and the GX mishap that ended with her being cut out of an outfit with a chef’s knife.
Listen to Episode 12 of You Came to the Right Place wherever you get your podcasts.
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Resources Mentioned:
G Adventures GX — G Adventures’ annual community tourism summit
Planeterra — G Adventures’ nonprofit partner supporting community tourism enterprises around the world
Project 300 — Planeterra and G Adventures’ goal to integrate 300 community tourism enterprises into G Adventures trips by 2030
Raise the World — G Adventures’ global employee fundraising campaign supporting Planeterra
Trees for Days — G Adventures’ tree-planting initiative tied to travellers’ days on tour
ABOUT THE HOSTS
Between them, Natasha Lair and Jen Mallia bring more than four decades of media and travel editorial experience to the mic. Ontario-based Natasha, Managing Editor of TravelPulse Canada, is warm, funny, and deeply curious, known for finding the human angle and cutting through industry spin with factual, unbiased reporting. Edmonton-based Jen, Senior Editor and travel media expert, pairs two decades of travel editorial experience with charm, quick wit, and sharp industry insight. From Central Canada to the West, they’ve got their ears to the ground, delivering real talk, smart analysis, and just enough sarcasm to keep it interesting.
ABOUT THE SHOW
You Came to the Right Place is a Canadian travel industry podcast from TravelPulse Canada. Expect smart conversation, insider context, and the kind of straight talk that doesn’t always make it into a press release. Each episode blends candid conversations between two editors, interviews with industry leaders, advisors, destination execs, and the people behind the stories we publish. If you work in travel, you came to the right place.
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